Rogers Place is the site for a cross-continent showdown as the Edmonton Oilers square off against the visiting Washington Capitals. The action will get started at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 25, and fans at home can catch it live on Sportsnet ONE.
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers Odds
Washington (+110) is currently the underdog to Washington (-130), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Washington is 4-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season SU winning percentage is a noticeable drop-off from what the team recorded during the 2017-18 season (49-33). Through eight regular season matches, Six of its games have gone over the total, while two have gone under and none have pushed. As an away team this season, the Caps are 1-2 SU.
The Capitals have impressively converted on 38.7 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a good improvement from last year, when they were ranked fifth in the NHL by scoring on 24.1 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has fallen off noticeably year-over-year, however, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 79.4 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 19th overall last season) to 71.9 percent this year.
The Caps, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 4.6 times per game in the 2018-19 season. Last year, that figure was the mark in the league at 4.0 penalties per game. After serving an average of 9.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to kill penalties for 10.0 minutes per outing this season.
Sporting a .885 save percentage and 24.3 saves per game, Braden Holtby (4-3-2) has been the primary option in goal for Washington this season. If Washington decides to rest him, however, they may turn to Pheonix Copley (0-2-1), who has a .873 save percentage and 4.04 goals against average this year.
Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Capitals. Backstrom (13 points) is up to two goals and 11 assists this season; Ovechkin has eight goals and five assists to his name through the early stages of the regular season.
On the other side of the rink, Edmonton is 3-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Four of its contests have gone under the total, while three have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 1-2 SU at home this year.
The Oilers have killed off a remarkable 76.2 percent of all penalties, compared to 76.7 percent in 2017-18 (when they were ranked 25th in the NHL). They’ve converted on 30.4 percent of their power plays this year after scoring on 14.8 percent (ranked 31st in league) last season.
Oilers players have been sent to the penalty box 3.7 times per game this season, a number that’s pretty close to the 3.6 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 8.3 minutes per matchup this year.
Cam Talbot has denied 25.6 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has three wins, four losses, and one overtime loss to his credit and has recorded a pedestrian 3.15 goals against average and a poor .891 save percentage this season.
The home team offense will be led by Connor McDavid (five goals, eight assists).
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
After winning three of their four shootouts last year, Washington is off to a 0-1 start in shootouts this season. Edmonton went 5-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The under has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
After averaging 33.4 shots per game as a team last season (the seventh-most in the league), Edmonton’s attempted 29.4 shots per contest overall this season, and 29.4 across their last 10 outings.
Edmonton has yet to win a game by two more more goals this season.
Washington skaters recorded 24.2 hits per game last season, while the Oilers logged 26.0 hits per matchup.
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